Man who let minors drink at party can't work with kids

Pam has been at the Daily Mercury since March 2013 and has also worked as a journalist in Batemans Bay and Wellington both in NSW. And yes, that does make her a Blues supporter. Growing up she moved around different places including Sydney, Moree, Wollongong and lived for about two years as a high school student on a small island in Micronesia called Pohnpei. Pam loves water sports, including SCUBA diving, snorkelling and kayaking but her awful balance means she’ll never touch a surf board. Ever...

A COURT tribunal has ruled that a Fraser Coast man who was in charge of a party when police caught underage teenagers drinking alcohol should not work with children.

The 50-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took the Public Safety Business Agency to the Queensland Civil and Administration Tribunal after the agency refused to give him a blue card, which would allow him to work with children.

The agency denied him a card because of his criminal history and concerns it had for his substance abuse problems.

Court documents said his criminal history included malicious damage, failing to appear, disqualified driving, refusing a breath analysis and offensive conduct which dated from 1981 to 2009.

A judgment from the Queensland Civil and Administration Tribunal's John Milburn in Hervey Bay said the man was fined $500 in court in 2009 for entering enclosed land without a lawful excuse during a family dispute over property.

Two months later he was sentenced for behaving in an offensive manner in a public place after police found teenagers drinking underage at a party he was throwing for his daughter's birthday. He swore at police when they tried to speak to him, court documents revealed.

About 200 people were at the party and numerous fights broke out. One 15-year-old girl was also taken to hospital for alcohol poisoning.

The man told the tribunal that he had changed and he had qualified as a teacher's aide. He cared for a young child as a foster carer but this stopped when his blue card application was knocked back.

In his judgment, Mr Milburn confirmed the public safety agency made the right decision in rejecting his blue card.

"These events were some time ago, however both demonstrated elements of extremely poor judgment," it said.

"Both were near to, and to some degree affected, children."

Mr Milburn said he was not satisfied that the man had developed, insight, skills and strategies to manage his alcohol consumption on a long-term basis.

He said it would not be in the best interest of children for the man to be given a blue card.